Designing for the Human Experience

17th - 18th May 2024

Yorkton Workshops

General Enquiries:
people.places.exhibit@gmail.com

Habitus, in sociology, is the way that people perceive and respond to the social world they inhabit, by way of their personal habits, skills, and disposition of character. In Sociologist Pierre Bourdieu’s words: the habitus is shaped by structural position and generates action, thus when people act and demonstrate agency, they simultaneously reflect and reproduce social structure.

The exhibition, ‘People and Places’ is a candid portrait of 15 emerging creative practitioners in London, 2024. Composed of individuals of diverse habitus, the one thing the international cohort shares is the momentum and determination to create. The new generation of practitioners are inquisitive, thoughtful and resourceful with the tools they have at hand, spanning several disciplines and mediums. Through their shared love of design, these individuals offer an insight into challenges within their habitus. Visitors are invited to explore a series of artefacts that respond to these issues in unconventional ways.

The themes address phenomena around the world. Sanad Khoury decided to explore his Palestinian roots with a sculptural water fountain, meanwhile, Maria Gil scrutinises Postmodernist design history in Poland and highlights the contradiction through the use of contrasting forms and materials.

More localised to London, Hannah Rot’s rigorous experiments on unfired clay are her statement towards sustainable products, with an emphasis on material provenance. Meanwhile, Romeo Hodges explores the loss of connection to the environment through his series of milking stools, crafted from London felled silver birch and London native Cameron Griffin investigates the rampant bicycle thievery scene, by collecting bicycle locks left on the streets and transforming them into elegant furniture.

In the increasingly frenetic city, Samuel Sant’s poetic and performative incense burner responds to the growing need for calmness and the rise of lifestyles that prioritise well-being. Pavneet Sidhu’s self-talk device aims to aid the neurodivergent community when dealing with stress in public and Yve Belle provides a tool kit for combating sensory overload. Haochun Wang creates an interactive experience that advocates for the benefits of traditional Chinese medicine through sensor technology.

In a reflective exploration, Jaeun Sim’s reinterpretation of traditional Korean sacrifice ware aims to stir up conversations about death and Jianming Fang toys with the idea of skin and skeleton in a chair cloaked in leather.

The thriving experimental dining and food scene sees Zaccaria Slater set up a condiment brand translating flavours of childhood memories, while Rush Barnett looks at the history and psychology of drinking behaviour with a series of finely crafted mask-like drinkware. Klinta Locmele creates speculative gravity-free kitchenware that looks to the future and aims to make our migratory journey to Mars more pleasant and Selina Zhu explores the possible future of meat substitutes through a speculative lens.

Cameron Griffin Haochun Wang Hannah Rot Jaeun Sim Jianming Fang Klinta Locmele Maria Gil Romeo Hodges Rush Barnett Samuel Sant Sanad Khoury Selina Zhu Yve Belle Zaccaria Slater

Cameron Griffin
Haochun Wang
Hannah Rot
Jaeun Sim
Jianming Fang
Klinta Locmele
Maria Gil
Romeo Hodges
Rush Barnett
Samuel Sant
Sanad Khoury
Selina Zhu
Yve Belle
Zaccaria Slater